Today’s event was geared towards new entrepreneurs, with a speaker panel that provided information on how to start and grow a small business. Future third Thursday topics include how to access capital and leadership skills for innovators.

The focus of The Gateway Center is to support local entrepreneurs through a variety of programs, including training, networking events, one-on-one counseling, mentorship programs, and access to the office, library and resource center of Virginia’s Gateway Region.

The Gateway Center was made possible through partnerships with The Center for Women's Enterprise at REDC Community Capital Group and the Crater Small Business Development Center at Longwood University.

The center is housed within the main office of Virginia’s Gateway Region, a regional economic development group that supports the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg, and the counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry and Sussex.

Located in Central Virginia, the Gateway Region offers companies easy access to U.S. and international markets through Virginia’s premier transportation network. Advanced manufacturing, global logistics and food processing companies have been drawn to the area’s skilled workforce and access to top education and research institutions.

The Gateway Center is another example of the innovative environment Virginia offers to entrepreneurs. To learn more about starting a business in the Commonwealth, click here.

Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) began offering tours of its Fab Lab this summer. The Fab Lab is short for digital fabrication laboratory, which gives students and local businesses access to 3D design and prototyping equipment to create new products and inventions.

The Fab Lab concept originated at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. In November 2011, PHCC, the New College Institute and Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation sponsored a two-week visit from the Mobile Fab Lab of the Carolinas. During that time the lab received more than 300 visits from interested students and community members.

Working with the same partners, PHCC was able to obtain funding from the Virginia Community College System to purchase equipment and establish its own Fab Lab.

The 10 Dell workstations in the lab offer open source software, which allows entrepreneurs and students to seamlessly continue their work at home or in other locations.

The Fab Lab has generated a lot of interest among students and business partners in the community. Lab Coordinator Matthew Wade estimates the lab has seen more than 100 visitors since its soft launch in April.

The lab will host a grand-opening event this fall to coincide with its first class, a basic manufacturing class that will teach students and entrepreneurs how to use the equipment in the lab to bring their ideas to life.

“Inventors can create designs with our software, use the vinyl cutter and CNC mill to fabricate and carve out a circuit board, and then utilize our 3D printer to produce a working model of their new product idea,” said PHCC Lab Coordinator Matthew Wade.

The PHCC Fab Lab is another example of the cutting-edge technology available at Virginia’s colleges and universities, helping prepare a strong pipeline of technically-skilled workers. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s recent Enterprising States study, Virginia is the No. 1 state in STEM job concentration and has the No. 1 share of high-tech businesses.

To learn more about Virginia’s leading higher education system and workforce preparation programs, click here.

A view of the Patrick Henry Community College Fab Lab in Martinsville, Va.

PRUFREX Innovative Power Products GmbH announced plans to establish its first U.S. location in Virginia Beach through a $7.33 million investment, which will create 60 new jobs. The project includes both a manufacturing facility as well as the company’s U.S. headquarters.

PRUFREX is a leading producer of digital ignition systems and electronic control systems for the small engine, marine and recreation, automotive, and electric and cordless power markets. The company’s global headquarters are in Cadolzburg, Germany.

The benefits of supply chain for economic development are apparent in this project—PRUFREX selected Virginia Beach over Georgia to be closer to two key customers, German-based BMZ Batteries and STIHL Inc.

STIHL opened its first U.S. plant in Virginia Beach in 1974, and has since grown to become the No. 1 brand of chain saws in the world. The company’s U.S. headquarters are now located in Virginia Beach, and since 1990 the company has announced investment of $335 million and 942 new jobs in the Commonwealth.

BMZ Batteries followed in April 2011, also establishing its U.S. headquarters in Virginia Beach to be close to STIHL and its other international customers.

Germany has been in the top three for international investment and job creation in the Commonwealth over the last four years.

PRUFREX, BMZ Batteries and STIHL have all made reference to the quality of Virginia’s workforce, particularly its engineering and advanced manufacturing capabilities, as well as the Commonwealth’s strategic East location and ability to easily reach U.S. customers through its premier logistics infrastructure.

Virginia’s transportation network includes access to the international Port of Virginia, the only U.S. East Coast location able to handle post-Panamax vessels as first port of call, as well as an integrated system of six interstate highways, nine commercial airports and 14 railroads, including two Class I lines.

To learn why Virginia is home to more than 700 internationally-owned companies, click here.

Dan River Plants uses micropropagation technology to create, clone and grow plants at a rapid rate. The technology was developed through collaboration between IALR’s Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources and Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Micropropagation utilizes plant tissue cultures to grow identical plants by an order of magnitude, yielding rapid and reliable results. The company is producing both decorative plants, such as lilies, roses and azaleas, as well as biofuel crops.

Dan River Plants plans to invest $1.3 million and create 27 new jobs to establish a facility at Ringgold East Industrial Park in Pittsylvania County, Va.

IALR was established in 2000 through partnerships among Virginia Tech, Averett University, Danville Community College, Pittsylvania County, City of Danville, Future of the Piedmont Foundation, Tobacco Indemnification Commission and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The center uniquely operates as a research and development facility, education leader, business incubator and conference center.

IALR has strategically positioned itself to capitalize on the expertise found in Southern Virginia. The center focuses on four main areas of research, including sustainable and renewable resources, analytical chemistry, polymers and composites, and vehicle research.

IALR is yet another example of the innovative research and collaboration with universities that supports Virginia businesses, from start-up to late stage. To learn more about opportunities to co-locate with Virginia’s leading universities at R&D centers across the Commonwealth, click here.

Digital Realty just announced a $150 million expansion to its data center campus in Virginia’s Loudoun County. The project is expected to create 50 new jobs over the next three years.

Digital Realty is the largest data center operator in Loudoun County, with more than one million square feet of space. The company’s latest building is expected to be 400,000 square feet and house 22 data centers.

This project is a strong follow-up to the company’s announcement last May. It broke ground on its fourth building in Loudoun County, representing an $80 million investment and the anticipated creation of 12 full-time jobs and 180 temporary positions.

Often called “Data Center Alley,” Loudoun County has become one of the top data center locations in the country. It currently maintains five million square feet of existing data center space with another three million square feet in development.

Loudoun County also handles up to 70 percent of the world’s internet traffic each day.

Fueled by increased customer demand for cloud computing, mobile applications and social networking, the data center industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. For calendar year 2012, data center announced investment topped $1 billion in Virginia.

The Commonwealth remains a prime location for data centers due to its advanced fiber infrastructure, abundant power redundancy, affordable energy rates and top notch IT workforce. Virginia has the highest concentration of high-tech workers according to Cyberstates 2013.

Virginia is home to 700 data centers establishments and has seen $5.8 billion in announced data center investment over the last decade. To learn why leaders like Amazon, Capital One, Digital Realty, Facebook, Google and Microsoft have all chosen the Commonwealth, click here.

On Wednesday, Tempur Sealy International, Inc. announced plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Scott County through a $13.3 million investment. The project will create 42 new jobs and allow the company to upgrade equipment and grow its Southwest Virginia operation.

The 500,000-square-foot facility has successfully operated at Duffield Industrial Park for 12 years, producing mattresses and pillows for the company’s Tempur-Pedic brand.

Temper Sealy is the largest bedding provider in the world and changed its name in March to reflect Tempur-Pedic’s $1.3 billion acquisition of Sealy Corp., announced in the fall of 2012. The Company's portfolio of iconic brand names includes Tempur®, Tempur-Pedic®, Sealy®, Sealy Posturepedic®, Optimum™ and Stearns & Foster®.

Virginia was chosen over New Mexico for this project due to the high quality of Southwest Virginia’s manufacturing workforce, low cost of operations and strategic location, with prime access to I-77 and I-81.

As part of the Virginia’s e-Region, Southwest Virginia has a strong legacy of supporting leading manufacturing and technology companies through its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education and emerging manufacturing specialties.

To learn why manufacturing companies continue to select Virginia, investing more than $13.7 billion over the last decade, click here.

Canon Virginia Inc. recently announced plans to include toner manufacturing at its headquarters location in Newport News, Va., through a $27 million investment.

Canon Virginia has successfully operated in Newport News since 1985, serving as the manufacturing hub of Canon U.S.A., a subsidiary of Japan-based Canon Inc. The Newport News campus includes a factory service center and manufacturing operations for a variety of Canon products, including copiers, printers and cartridges.

Governor McDonnell met with Canon Inc. officials while in Tokyo as part of his recent Asia Marketing Mission.

By allocating 30,000 square feet of upgraded space to this project, Canon Virginia will improve efficiencies by manufacturing both the ink toner and cartridges all in one location.

Canon Virginia employs nearly 2,000 Virginians across the Commonwealth, and the company has invested more than $371 million in its Virginia operations in the last four years.

World-class manufacturing companies like Canon Inc. continue to invest in the Commonwealth due to its competitive operating environment, highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and premier logistics infrastructure.

To learn why manufacturing companies have invested more than $13.7 billion in Virginia over the last decade, click here.

Intelliject President & CEO Spencer Williamson recently won the Ernst & Young (E&Y) Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Greater Washington Award in the Health Services and Technology category.

Based in Richmond, Va., Intelliject was founded in 2004 by twin brothers Eric and Evan Edwards in an effort to find a more user-friendly solution to administer epinephrine in the event of anaphylactic shock. Both brothers had suffered from severe allergies since childhood.

That solution became the Auvi-Q device, the first and only epinephrine auto-injector with voice instructions. Auvi-Q provides step-by-step voice instructions along with visual cues and a five-second countdown to help ensure the medication is delivered quickly and accurately during a potentially life-threatening situation.

After years of development, Auvi-Q is now on the fast track. The company received FDA approval for the device in August 2012 and reached a licensing agreement with Sanofi-Aventis to commercialize the product in North America.

In January 2013, Auvi-Q became available on pharmacy shelves in the U.S., and the company is well-positioned to expand internationally.

Intelliject is a shining example of Virginia’s growing life sciences industry and the innovative environment the Commonwealth offers to entrepreneurs. More than 800 life sciences companies have chosen to locate in Virginia for its access to top research institutions, biotech parks and a highly-trained workforce with the medical expertise to support the industry.

Former International Paper (IP) Franklin Mill employees have come up with a clever solution to make use of the dormant sawmill at IP’s Franklin, Va., site—establish a new company and purchase the mill.

The newly-formed company will operate under the name Franklin Lumber, and the $14.8 million investment is expected to create 72 new jobs.

The Franklin Mill facility, located in Isle of Wight County, has seen its fair share of activity over the last year. After initially closing the paper mill in 2009, International Paper returned in the summer of 2012 and repurposed part of the facility to manufacture fluff pulp.

Also in 2012, Tak Investments announced plans to invest $60 million and create 85 new jobs to establish ST Tissue, a recycled tissue plant, by repurposing a vacant portion of the Franklin Mill site.

Franklin Lumber expects to produce 60 million board feet of southern yellow pine lumber each year for retail, treating and truss manufacturers. This project will benefit Virginia’s logging supply chain as 40 percent of the company’s materials will be sourced from the Commonwealth.

Virginia was selected for this project due to the founders’ knowledge of the Franklin Mill site and familiarity with the assets of the region, which include a strong wood basket supply chain, a skilled manufacturing workforce and a premier logistics infrastructure.

This investment also represents the first Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) grant to a forestry project.

Franklin Lumber joins more than 6,000 manufacturing companies located in the Commonwealth and illustrates that Virginia is not only a great place for manufacturers, but a great place to start a business. Virginia recently earned an A for its small business friendliness—to learn more, click here.

VEDP’s YesVA mobile app and in-app advertisement for The Wall Street Journal were both recognized at the 2012 Richmond Ad Club’s Richmond Show.

Judged by a panel of nationally-recognized advertising and design professionals, VEDP’s advertising agency of record, Elevation, won the silver and bronze awards in the interactive category for its VEDP work.

VEDP launched the YesVA mobile app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices in the fall of 2012. This interactive tool allows clients to perform property searches and compare Virginia to other states in major business categories.

The YesVA mobile app is part of VEDP’s digital marketing campaign targeting C-level executives and site selection consultants in selected geographies across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including native language advertisements in the German and Chinese markets.

The campaign, which began in 2012 and continues into 2013, is expected to generate more than 23 million impressions on the websites of leading business and site selection publications. The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Site Selection, Area Development, Financial Times Asia and Financial Times Germany were among the selected media outlets. The campaign also incorporated pay-per-click search engine marketing via Google AdWords.

By helping companies make the most informed decision on business locations, the YesVA mobile app is yet another example of an innovative tool developed by VEDP to market Virginia as a top state for business.

To learn why Virginia’s unique combination of resources has encouraged businesses to prosper here for more than 400 years, click here.

HP Hood recently announced plans to expand its facility in Frederick County through an $84.6 million investment that will create 75 new jobs.

This project represents the biggest investment in 30 years by an expanding company in Frederick County. It will allow the company to increase its ultra-high-temperature production capacity. This method of pasteurizing milk products allows a longer shelf life, and the Frederick County plant is the largest facility of its type in the U.S.

HP Hood is one of the primary dairy producers in the country, with nearly $2 billion in sales and 15 plants across the U.S. The company’s well-known brands include Hood, Crowley, Simply Smart Milk, Heluva Good!, LACTAID®, BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers, HERSHEY’S® Milk and Milkshakes, and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® almond milk.

The company has successfully operated the Frederick County plant since 2001, growing to 500 employees with the help of this expansion.

Virginia’s food and beverage industry is expanding at a rapid pace. So far in 2013, Virginia food and beverage companies have announced 12 projects, creating more than 900 jobs and bringing almost $500 million of investment into the Commonwealth.

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About VEDP

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), a state authority created by the Virginia General Assembly to better serve those seeking a prime business location and increased trade opportunities, provides confidential site selection and international trade services. VEDP's mission: To enhance the quality of life and raise the standard of living for all Virginians, in collaboration with Virginia communities, through aggressive business recruitment, expansion assistance, and trade development, thereby expanding the tax base and creating higher-income employment opportunities.